Laser diode health monitoring

ABSTRACT

A method for managing optical transceivers includes obtaining laser measurements for a laser operating in an optical transceiver in a network device, obtaining a failure profile for the laser, making a first determination that the laser measurements match the failure profile, and based on the first determination, initiating a remediation action for the optical transceiver.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application No.16/892,706, filed on Jun. 4, 2020, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Network devices often utilize optical transceivers when transferringdata.

The optical transceivers may include lasers equipped to perform the datatransfers. The lasers may, over time, experience degradation, loss ofpower or voltage, and/or failure of other sorts, that may impact thedata transfer operation of the network devices.

SUMMARY

In general, in one aspect, the invention relates to a method formanaging optical transceivers. The method includes obtaining lasermeasurements for a laser operating in an optical transceiver in anetwork device, obtaining a failure profile for the laser, making afirst determination that the laser measurements match the failureprofile, and based on the first determination, initiating a remediationaction for the optical transceiver.

In general, in one aspect, the invention relates to a non-transitorycomputer readable medium in accordance with one or more embodiments ofthe invention includes computer readable program code, which whenexecuted by a computer processor enables the computer processor toperform a method for managing optical transceivers. The method includesobtaining laser measurements for a laser operating in an opticaltransceiver in a network device, obtaining, based on an opticaltransceiver type, a failure profile for the laser, making a firstdetermination that the laser measurements match the failure profile, andbased on the first determination, initiating a remediation action forthe optical transceiver.

In general, in one aspect, the invention relates to a system thatincludes a processor and memory that includes instructions which, whenexecuted by the processor, perform a method. The method includesobtaining laser measurements for a laser operating in an opticaltransceiver in a network device, wherein the laser measurements aredirect laser measurements or indirect laser measurements, obtaining afailure profile for the optical transceiver, making a firstdetermination that the laser measurements match the failure profile, andbased on the first determination, initiating a remediation action forthe optical transceiver.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a system in accordance with one or more embodimentsdescribed herein.

FIG. 2 shows a diagram of a network device in accordance with one ormore embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 3A shows a flowchart describing a method for generating a failureprofile using laser measurements in accordance with one or moreembodiments described herein.

FIG. 3B shows a flowchart describing a method for monitoring opticaltransceivers in a network device in accordance with one or moreembodiments described herein.

FIGS. 4A-4B shows an example in accordance with one or more embodimentsdescribed herein.

FIG. 5 shows a diagram of a computing device in accordance with one ormore embodiments described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In general, the invention relates to a system and method for monitoringthe behavior of lasers in the optical transceivers to preemptively (andproactively) notify an administrator of a potential future failure of anoptical transceiver. Embodiments described herein may include generating(or obtaining) failure profiles of the laser's operation over time,where the failure profiles may be generated on a per-optical transceivermodel-basis. The failure profiles may include a pattern, e.g., expressedas a function of the photocurrent under certain reversed voltage overtime measured using a photodiode in the optical transceiver. The patternmay be used to predict when the optical transceiver may fail. Saidanother way, if the optical transceiver is behaving in a manner thatmatches (or is substantially similar to) the pattern, then there is ahigh likelihood that the optical transceiver will fail. In the eventthat the optical transceiver is predicted to fail, a remediation actionmay be performed. An example of a remediation action may be to send anotification of the potential failure to an administrator managing thenetwork switch.

In one or more embodiments, the operation of the optical transceivers ina network switch may be measured using photodiodes embedded within theoptical transceivers. The laser measurements (also referred to asmeasurements) (which may be represented as power, current, or voltagemeasurements) obtained by the photodiodes, which are periodically taken,are transmitted to a cloud service. The laser measurements may beobtained in real-time or near real-time using a digital diagnosticmonitoring (DMM) function, which may be embedded in the opticaltransceiver. The cloud service may store the measurements from opticaltransceivers from all network switches that are subscribed to the cloudservice. The cloud service may then use the measurements to predictwhether a given optical transceiver is likely to fail. The predictionmay be based on: (i) a failure profile associated with the opticaltransceiver (and/or type of laser(s) embedded therein) and (ii) themeasurements obtained from the network switch. The failure profiles maybe originally obtained from optical transceiver and/or lasermanufactures; however, the failure profiles may be updated overtimebased on the measurements obtained from the network switches. Theupdating of the failure profiles may be performed using machine learningtechniques (or other artificial intelligence techniques) in order toimprove the accuracy of the failure profiles in predicting a potentialfailure of the laser used in the optical transceivers.

FIG. 1 shows a system in accordance with one or more embodimentsdescribed herein. As shown in FIG. 1 , the system includes one or morenetwork devices (100), cloud service (110), and administrator (150).Each of these components is operatively connected via any combination ofwired and/or wireless connections without departing from the invention.The system may include additional, fewer, and/or different componentswithout departing from the invention. Each of the aforementionedcomponents illustrated in FIG. 1 is described below.

In one or more embodiments, each network device (e.g., network device100A, network device 110N) is a physical device that includes and/or isoperatively connected to persistent storage (not shown), memory (e.g.,random access memory (RAM)) (not shown), one or more processor(s) (e.g.,integrated circuits) (not shown), and at least one physical networkinterface (not shown), which may also be referred to as a port. Examplesof a network device include, but are not limited to, a network switch, arouter, a multilayer switch, a fibre channel device, an InfiniBand®device, etc. A network device (100) is not limited to the aforementionedspecific examples.

In one or more embodiments, each of the network devices (e.g., networkdevice 100A, network device 100N) includes functionality to receivenetwork traffic data units (e.g., frames, packets, tunneling protocolframes, etc.) at any of the physical network interfaces (e.g., ports) ofthe network device and to process the network traffic data units. In oneor more embodiments, the network device utilizes optical transceivers(discussed in FIG. 2 ) that transmit data between network devices (100)and/or between components in a network device (100A, 100N). The processof receiving network traffic data units, processing the network trafficdata units, and transmitting the network traffic data units may be inaccordance with, at least in part, instructions issued by administrator(150).

In one or more embodiments, an optical transceiver utilizes lasers (notshown in FIG. 1 ) to transmit such data. The behavior of the lasers maybe measured by components of the network device (e.g., 100A, 100N). Thelaser measurements (e.g., measurements of the performance of the lasers)may be transmitted to cloud service (110).

In one or more embodiments, a network device (e.g., network device 100A,network device 100N) also includes and/or is operatively connected todevice storage and/or device memory (i.e., non-transitory computerreadable mediums) storing software and/or firmware.

Such software and/or firmware may include instructions which, whenexecuted by the one or more processors (not shown) of a network device,cause the one or more processors to perform operations in accordancewith one or more embodiments described herein.

The software instructions may be in the form of computer readableprogram code to perform methods of embodiments as described herein, andmay be stored, in whole or in part, temporarily or permanently, on anon-transitory computer readable medium such as a compact disc (CD),digital versatile disc (DVD), storage device, diskette, tape, flashmemory, physical memory, or any other non-transitory computer readablemedium. For additional details regarding network devices (100A, 100N),see, e.g., FIG. 2 .

In one or more embodiments, the network device is part of a network (notshown). A network may refer to an entire network or any portion thereof(e.g., a logical portion of the devices within a topology of devices). Anetwork may include a datacenter network, a wide area network, a localarea network, a wireless network, a cellular phone network, or any othersuitable network that facilitates the exchange of information from onepart of the network to another. In one or more embodiments, the networkmay be coupled with or overlap, at least in part, with the Internet. Inone or more embodiments, a network includes a collection of one or morenetwork devices (e.g., 100) that facilitate network connectivity for oneor more operatively connected devices (e.g., computing devices, datastorage devices, other network devices, etc.) (not shown). In one ormore embodiments, network device (100) and other devices within thenetwork are arranged in a network topology (not shown). In one or moreembodiments, a network topology is an arrangement of various devices ofa network.

In one or more embodiments, cloud service (110) includes functionalityfor monitoring network devices (100) and for initiating remediationactions when cloud service (110) determines that a network device (e.g.,100A, 100N) is to be remediated based on the monitoring. In one or moreembodiments, cloud service (110) includes failure profile generationmanager (112) and failure profile repository (114). Cloud service (110)may include additional, fewer, and/or different components.

In one or more embodiments, cloud service (110) is implemented as acomputing device (see, e.g., FIG. 5 ). The computing device may be, forexample, desktop computer, server, or computing resource. The computingdevice may include one or more processors, memory (e.g., random accessmemory), and persistent storage (e.g., disk drives, solid state drives,etc.). The persistent storage may store computer instructions, e.g.,computer code, that when executed by the processor(s) of the computingdevice cause the computing device to perform the functions of cloudservice (110) described throughout this application.

In one or more embodiments, cloud service (110) is implemented as alogical device. The logical device may utilize computing resources ofany number of physical computing devices to provide the functionality ofcloud service (110) described throughout this application.

In one or more embodiments, the failure profile generation manager (112)generates failure profiles. In one or more embodiments, a failureprofile is a pattern of measurements taken for a component of a networkdevice (e.g., an optical transceiver) that the component is likely tofollow if the component has failed or is predicted to fail in the nearfuture. The failure profiles may be generated by applying a machinelearning algorithm to the laser measurements. In one or moreembodiments, the failure profile may be represented as, for example, afunction of voltage over time, a function of power over time, or afunction of current over time. The failure profile may be representedvia any other mechanism without departing from the invention. Further,the function may be of any variables without departing from theinvention.

In one or more embodiments, the failure profiles are generated based onlaser measurements obtained from network devices (100). The failureprofile generation manager (112) may generate the failure profile byimplementing a machine learning algorithm on the laser measurements.

In one embodiment of the invention, the failure profiles may begenerated on a per-laser type basis or a per-optical transceiver typebasis. The identification of an appropriate failure profile, see e.g.,FIGS. 3A-3B, may be determined using either the laser type or theoptical transceiver type depending on how the failure profiles aregenerated (i.e., on a per-laser type basis or a per-optical transceivertype basis).

In one or more embodiments of the invention, a machine learningalgorithm is a series of one or more functions that specifiesrelationships between any number of inputs and outputs. Examples ofmachine learning algorithms include, but are not limited to: LinearRegression, Multi-Linear Regression, Logistic Regression, Decision Tree,SVM, Naive Bayes, kNN, K-Means, Random Forest, Dimensionality ReductionAlgorithms, and Gradient Boosting algorithms.

In the context of the failure profile, the inputs may be lasermeasurements of, for example, voltage, power, and/or current over timefor components that have failed or were close to failing during the timeperiod(s) associated with the laser measurements. The output may be thefailure profile.

In one or more embodiments, failure profile generation manager (112) isimplemented as computing code stored on a persistent storage that whenexecuted by a processor of cloud service (110) performs thefunctionality of the failure profile generation manager (112). Theprocessor may be a hardware processor including circuitry such as, forexample, a central processing unit or a microcontroller. The processormay be other types of hardware devices for processing digitalinformation without departing from the invention.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, failure profile repository(114) stores failure profiles. The failure profiles may specify anoptical transceiver type. In other words, each failure profile may beassociated with an optical transceiver type. For additional detailsregarding an optical transceiver type, see, e.g., FIG. 2 .

In one or more embodiments, failure profile repository (114) isimplemented using devices of cloud service (110) that provide datastorage services (e.g., storing data and providing copies of previouslystored data). The devices that provide data storage services may includehardware devices and/or logical devices. For example, failure profilerepository (114) may include any quantity and/or combination of memorydevices (i.e., volatile storage), long term storage devices (i.e.,persistent storage), other types of hardware devices that may provideshort term and/or long term data storage services, and/or logicalstorage devices (e.g., virtual persistent storage/volatile storage).

In one or more embodiments, administrator (150) manages the operation ofnetwork devices (100). Administrator (150) may manage the operation ofnetwork devices (100) by obtaining notifications from cloud service(110), or other entities, that specify a potential future failure of acomponent in a network device (e.g., 100A, 100N). Administrator (150)may include functionality to, e.g., display the notification to a userof administrator (150).

In one or more embodiments of the invention, administrator (150) isimplemented as a computing device (see, e.g., FIG. 5 ). The computingdevice may be, for example, a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptopcomputer, desktop computer, server, or cloud resource. The computingdevice may include one or more processors, memory (e.g., random accessmemory), and persistent storage (e.g., disk drives, solid state drives,etc.). The persistent storage may store computer instructions, e.g.,computer code, that when executed by the processor(s) of the computingdevice cause the computing device to perform the functions ofadministrator (150) described throughout this application.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, administrator (150) isimplemented as a logical device. The logical device may utilizecomputing resources of any number of physical computing devices toprovide the functionality of administrator (150) described throughoutthis application.

While FIG. 1 shows a configuration of components, other configurationsmay be used without departing from the scope of embodiments describedherein. For example, there may be any number of network devices. Asanother example, there may be any number of cloud services. As anotherexample, there may be any number of network device components.

FIG. 2 shows a diagram of a network device in accordance with one ormore embodiments. Network device (200) may be an embodiment of a networkdevice (e.g., network device 100A, network device 100N) discussed abovein FIG. 1 . Network device (200) may include one or more opticaltransceivers (e.g., optical transceiver 220A, optical transceiver 220N),laser measurement agent (230), and local laser measurement repository(240). Network device (200) may include additional, fewer, and/ordifferent components without departing from the invention. Each of thecomponents of network device (200) illustrated in FIG. 2 is discussedbelow.

In one or more embodiments, an optical transceiver (e.g., 220A, 220N) isa device with functionality for transferring data between networkdevices. An optical transceiver (e.g., 220A, 220N) may include, forexample, one or more lasers (222) that perform the operation oftransmitting and/or receiving data. The lasers (e.g., laser 222A andlaser 222N) include functionality for obtaining data from one or morenetwork devices and/or for transmitting the data to one or more networkdevices.

In one or more embodiments, the data is transmitted and/or obtainedusing light energy. Lasers (222A, 222N) include functionality forconverting the data from electrical energy to light energy andtransmitting the data between network devices to be obtained by thelasers of the network devices in the form of light energy.

To perform the aforementioned functionality, lasers (222A, 222N) mayoperate under a particular range of voltages. The range of voltagesunder which lasers (222A, 222N) operate may be based on an opticaltransceiver type of optical transceiver (220A), and/or a type of networkdevice (200). For example, optical transceiver (220A) may be of a typethat utilizes lasers that operate under a voltage range of 1.0 Volts (V)to 2V. As an additional example, optical transceiver (220N) may be of atype that utilizes lasers that operate under a voltage range of 4V to5V. The invention is not limited to the aforementioned examples,

In one or more embodiments, the type of optical transceiver used fornetwork device (200) may be classified based on the performance (e.g.,an amount of data transfer being performed by the optical transceiverover a given period of time, an intended distance in which the data isto travel, a bandwidth of the optical transceiver, etc.) of the opticaltransceiver, based on the number of lasers in the optical transceiver,and/or based on any other factor(s) without departing from theinvention.

In one or more embodiments, the optical transceiver types may beclassified based on the functionalities of the components operating inthe optical transceiver. For example, a first optical transceiver typemay be associated with optical transceivers that utilize one laser forreceiving data and a second laser for transmitting data. A secondoptical transceiver type may be associated with optical transceiversthat utilize one laser for both receiving and transmitting data. Becauseof the varying functionalities of each laser associated with differentoptical transceiver types, the failure profile of each opticaltransceiver type may vary.

To further describe the optical transceiver types, as a third example,an optical transceiver of one type may be equipped with a power controlloop. The optical transceiver type of an optical transceiver may befurther defined based on whether the optical transceiver is equippedwith such power control loop.

In one or more embodiments, a power control loop is a component of anoptical transceiver that manages the power output of the laser. Thepower control loop includes a monitoring photodiode and a secondarypower source (e.g., a power source separate from that of the networkdevice). The power control loop may detect a low power output of thetransmitting laser and increase the current output of the laser inresponse to the detection to maintain a stable power output. The resultof the increase current output may be an increase in power consumptionof the optical transceiver. In such embodiments in which the opticaltransceiver is equipped with a power control loop, the lasermeasurements may include additional measurements about the powerconsumption of the laser to be used to determine if the laser is closeto a point of failure.

In one or more embodiments, each optical transceiver (e.g., 220A, 220N)further includes a laser measurement device (224). The laser measurementdevice (224) may be equipped to capture laser measurements of the lasers(e.g., laser 222A and laser 222N) in the optical transceiver and/orlaser measurements of optical transceivers of other network devices.Each laser measurement device (e.g., 224) may be further equipped tostore the laser measurements in local laser measurement repository (240)of network device (200). Laser measurement device (224) may capture thelaser measurements by measuring the amount of light energy emitting fromthe lasers (e.g., 222A, 222N) and converting the light energy into ameasurable variable (e.g., a voltage, a power, and/or a current).

In one or more embodiments, the laser measurement device (224) isimplemented, at least in part, as a monitoring photodiode. Themonitoring photodiode may include functionality for producing aphotocurrent based on the light energy emitted by a laser (e.g., 222A,222N) within the transmitter portion of the transceiver and storing thevoltage reading in local laser measurement repository (240). In suchembodiments, optical transceiver (220A) includes additional photodiodes(not shown) that serve the functionality of receiving data from othernetwork devices. The measurement obtained by the monitoring photodiodemay be referred to a direct laser measurements.

There may be other transceivers that do not include monitoringphotodiodes. In such embodiments, the laser measurements for the laserswithin a given transceiver are obtained indirectly and, as such, theselaser measurements are referred to as indirect laser measurements. Morespecifically, in one or more embodiments of the invention, lasermeasurement device (224) of optical transceiver (220A) is a photodiodein the receiver portion of the transceiver that receives data (in theform of light) from laser in a transmitter portion of a second networkdevice. The photodiode monitors the laser power (based on the receivedlight) of the laser in the second network device and the records theselaser measurements in local laser measurement repository (240).

In one or more embodiments, network device (200) further includes lasermeasurement agent (230). Laser measurement agent (230) may includefunctionality for transferring the laser measurements in local lasermeasurement repository (240). In one or more embodiments, lasermeasurement agent (230) obtains the laser measurements stored in locallaser measurement repository (240) and transfers the laser measurementsto a cloud service (or other external entity) that is equipped toanalyze the laser measurements in accordance with the methods of FIGS.3A and/or 3B.

In one or more embodiments, the laser measurements are analyzed locallyin accordance with the methods of FIGS. 3A. In such embodiments, thelaser measurement agent (230) is equipped to perform such analysis, andthe transfer of the laser measurements to external entities may not berequired.

In one or more embodiments, laser measurement agent (230) is a hardwaredevice including circuitry. Laser measurement agent (230) may be, forexample, a digital signal processor, a field programmable gate array, oran application specific integrated circuit. Laser measurement agent(230) may be other types of hardware devices without departing from theinvention.

In one or more embodiments, laser measurement agent (230) is implementedas computing code stored on a persistent storage (not shown) that whenexecuted by a processor of network device (200) performs thefunctionality of laser measurement agent (230). The processor may be ahardware processor including circuitry such as, for example, a centralprocessing unit or a microcontroller. The processor may be other typesof hardware devices for processing digital information without departingfrom the invention.

In one or more embodiments, local laser measurement repository (240)stores laser measurements. As discussed above, the laser measurementsmay be obtained from one or more laser measurement devices (e.g., 224)of the optical transceivers (e.g., 220A, 220N) in network device (200).In one or more embodiments, the laser measurements specify values forthe behavior of lasers (e.g., 222A, 222N) of each optical transceiver(e.g., 220A, 220N) in network device (200). The behavior may berepresented as, for example, a voltage reading, a current reading, or apower reading of the lasers at specified points in time. The behaviormay be represented as other variables without departing from theinvention. The laser measurements may further specify the opticaltransceiver type of the corresponding optical transceiver. Further, inscenarios in which the laser measurements are indirect lasermeasurements, local laser measurement repository (240) may also storeinformation that identifies the transceiver with which the lasermeasurements are associated. See e.g., FIG. 4B.

FIG. 3A shows a flowchart describing a method for generating a failureprofile using laser measurements in accordance with one or moreembodiments disclosed herein. The method of FIG. 3A may be performed by,for example, a failure profile generation manager (e.g., 112, FIG. 1 )or by a laser measurement agent (e.g., 230, FIG. 2 ). Other componentsillustrated in FIGS. 1-2 may perform the method of FIG. 3A withoutdeparting from the invention. Further, one or more steps in FIG. 3A maybe performed concurrently with one or more steps in FIG. 3B.

While the various steps in the flowchart shown in FIG. 3A are presentedand described sequentially, one of ordinary skill in the relevant art,having the benefit of this Detailed Description, will appreciate thatsome or all of the steps may be executed in different orders, that someor all of the steps may be combined or omitted, and/or that some or allof the steps may be executed in parallel.

In step 302, laser measurements of a laser associated with an opticaltransceiver are obtained. The laser measurements may be any combinationof direct or indirect laser measurements. In one or more embodiments,the laser measurements are obtained from a laser measurement agentexecuting on a network device. The laser measurements may specify theoptical transceiver, the laser associated with the optical transceiver,and the voltage, power, current, or other characteristics of thecorresponding lasers during a predetermined point in time.

In step 304, laser measurements associated with an optical transceivertype of the optical transceiver are obtained from a laser measurementsrepository. In one or more embodiments, the optical transceiver type isspecified in the laser measurements. In one or more embodiments, thelaser measurements of one optical transceiver type is identified basedon the specified optical transceiver type in the laser measurements.Said another way, the failure profile generation manager, or otherentity performing the method, analyzes the laser measurements todetermine the optical transceiver type of the laser measurements.

After the optical transceiver type is identified, the failure profilegeneration manager, or other entity performing the method, may obtainadditional laser measurements, if any, that are associated with theoptical transceiver type and stored in a laser measurements repository.The laser measurements repository may be, for example, a lasermeasurements repository of the network device from which the lasermeasurements of step 302 were obtained. Alternatively, the lasermeasurements repository may be stored in the cloud service from whichthe failure profile generation manager, or other entity performing themethod, is executing.

In step 306, a failure profile associated with the optical transceivertype is generated by implementing a machine learning algorithm on theidentified laser measurements. In one or more embodiments, the machinelearning algorithm includes inputting the laser measurements and whetherthe optical transceiver is in a failed state or risk of failure state(e.g., as determined by an administrator of the network device, or anyother entity) into a machine learning model and generating a pattern ofthe laser behavior. If the optical transceiver was previously determinedto be in a failed state or risk of failure state due to the failure ofthe laser, the pattern of the laser behavior is classified as a failureprofile. The failure profile may be stored in a failure profilerepository.

While FIG. 3A describes a method for generating a failure profile,embodiments of the invention may be implemented using failure profilesobtained from other sources, e.g., transceiver vendors. Moreover, thefailure profile generation may be performed each time new lasermeasurement data is obtained from network devices or, alternatively,periodically (e.g., a certain amount of new data is obtained and/orafter certain periods of time have elapsed).

While FIG. 3A describes the identification of a failure profile based onthe optical transceiver type, the method shown in FIG. 3A may be also beperformed by identifying the failure profile based on the laser typewithout departing from the invention.

FIG. 3B shows a flowchart describing a method for monitoring opticaltransceivers in a network device in accordance with one or moreembodiments disclosed herein. The method of FIG. 3B may be performed by,for example, a failure profile generation manager (e.g., 112, FIG. 1 )or by a laser measurement agent (e.g., 230, FIG. 2 ). Other componentsillustrated in FIGS. 1-2 may perform the method of FIG. 3B withoutdeparting from the invention.

While the various steps in the flowchart shown in FIG. 3B are presentedand described sequentially, one of ordinary skill in the relevant art,having the benefit of this Detailed Description, will appreciate thatsome or all of the steps may be executed in different orders, that someor all of the steps may be combined or omitted, and/or that some or allof the steps may be executed in parallel. Further, one or more steps inFIG. 3B may be performed concurrently with one or more steps in FIG. 3A.

In step 320, laser measurements associated with an optical transceiverare obtained. In one or more embodiments, the laser measurements areobtained from a laser measurement agent executing on a network device.The laser measurements may specify the network device from which themeasurements were received, the optical transceiver, the laserassociated with the optical transceiver, and the voltage, power,current, or other characteristics of the corresponding lasers during apredetermined point in time.

In one or more embodiments of the invention, the laser measurements areobtained from an optical transceiver that monitors the behavior of asecond optical transceiver (i.e., indirect laser measurements). In suchembodiments, the optical transceiver sending the laser measurements mayspecify the optical transceiver for which the monitoring is performed.Alternatively, the laser measurements may specify a port (e.g., areceiver in the first optical transceiver) from which the lasermeasurements are recorded. The failure profile generation manager mayuse the information to identify the optical transceiver (e.g., thesecond optical transceiver) for which the indirect laser measurementsare associated.

In one or more embodiments, the first optical transceiver sending thelaser measurements has a physical connection to the second opticaltransceiver associated with the indirect laser measurements. Thephysical connection may include, for example, a fiber optic cableconnecting a transceiver of the second optical transceiver to a receiverof the first optical transceiver. The network device and/or the cloudservice may track the physical connectivity between the first and secondoptical transceivers.

In one or more embodiments, the laser measurements are associated withthe optical transceiver from which the laser measurements are obtained(i.e., direct laser measurements). In such embodiments, the direct lasermeasurements specify the optical transceiver sending the lasermeasurements.

In step 322, a failure profile of an optical transceiver type associatedwith the optical transceiver is obtained. In one or more embodiments,the failure profile may be obtained from a failure profile repository.The failure profile may specify the optical transceiver type of theoptical transceiver associated with the laser measurements. As discussedabove, the laser measurements may be direct or indirect lasermeasurements and the laser measurements may be provided to the cloudservice with additional information such as the optical transceivertype. This information may then be used to identify the failure profile.

In step 324, a laser analysis is performed using the laser measurementsand the failure profile to determine whether the laser measurementsmatch the failure profile. In one or more embodiments, the laseranalysis includes converting the laser measurements into a function thatis comparable to the failure profile.

For example, if the laser measurements include a series of data pointsof a laser's power over discrete points in time, the laser measurementsmay be converted via, for example, a linear regression model, to afunction of laser voltage over time. The function may be compared to thefailure profile which may be represented as a function of laser powerover time. As a second example, if the laser measurements specify avoltage of a laser over time, and the failure profile is arepresentation of power over time for a laser, the laser measurementsmay be converted such that the laser measurements represent the powerover time. In this manner, the failure profile and the lasermeasurements are in a standard format, and thus may be compared.

In step 326, a determination is made about whether the lasermeasurements match the failure profile. The determination is made basedon the laser analysis. In one or more embodiments, the lasermeasurements may match the failure profile if the laser measurements aresimilar and/or relatively similar. The failure profile may be similar tothe laser measurements if the deviation between the values in therespective function is minimal. A maximum amount of deviation may beallowed between the laser measurement and the failure profile for thetwo to be considered similar. The maximum amount of deviation may bepredetermined by, for example, an administrator of the network devices.Other entities may set the maximum deviation value without departingfrom the invention. If the laser measurements match the failure profile,the method proceeds to step 328; otherwise, the method proceeds to step330.

In one or more embodiments, the determination that the lasermeasurements match the failure profile may result in the determinationthat the optical transceiver is about to fail.

In step 328, a remediation action is initiated on the opticaltransceiver. In one or more embodiments, a remediation action is anaction performed to remediate the determination that the opticaltransceiver is about to fail. The remediation action may include, forexample, sending a notification to an administrator, or another entity.The notification may specify: (i) the network device on which the laseris located and (ii) information about which laser(s) on the networkdevice is about to fail. The notification may further include a timeperiod in which the laser may fail, the time period may be determined,for example, based on the failure profile and/or a machine learningmodel that predicts, based on the current laser measurements, when thelaser is likely to fail.

In step 330, the failure profile is updated based on the laser analysis.In one or more embodiments, the failure profile is updated by using theresult of the laser analysis (e.g., the determination that the laser isor is not about to fail) and the laser measurements as inputs for themachine learning algorithm of FIG. 3A. In this manner, the failureprofile continues to improve in its accuracy when determining when alaser of an optical transceiver is about to fail.

While FIG. 3B describes the identification of a failure profile based onthe optical transceiver type, the method shown in FIG. 3B may be also beperformed by identifying the failure profile based on the laser typewithout departing from the invention.

Examples

FIGS. 4A-4B shows an example in accordance with one or more embodimentsdescribed herein. The following example is for explanatory purposes onlyand not intended to limit the scope of embodiments described herein.Additionally, while the example shows certain aspects of embodimentsdescribed herein, all possible aspects of such embodiments may not beillustrated in this particular example.

Referring to FIG. 4A, consider a scenario in which network device (440)monitors lasers of two optical transceivers (e.g., optical transceiver(410) and optical transceiver (420)). As shown in FIG. 4A, each opticaltransceiver (i.e., 410, 420) includes lasers (i.e., 412, 422). Opticaltransceiver (410) includes laser measurement device (414) that monitorsthe optical power of laser (412A) and laser (412B) over a period of time[1 a] (i.e., direct laser measurement). Optical transceiver (420)includes laser measurement device (424) that monitors the optical powerof laser (422) over a period of time [1 b] (i.e., direct lasermeasurement). In this example, each laser measurement device (i.e., 414,424) is a monitoring photodiode that measures the photocurrent byconverting the light energy emitting from the respective laser to anelectric potential, which is measured as a current on the photodiode.

Optical transceiver (410) is of a first optical transceiver type thatutilizes two lasers (e.g., 412A, 412B). In contrast, optical transceiver(420) is of a second optical transceiver type that utilizes one laser(e.g., 422). As such, two failure profiles are stored in failure profilerepository (402) of cloud service (400). Each failure profilecorresponds to an optical transceiver type. Each failure profile isrepresented as a function of voltage over time.

The laser measurements are obtained by laser measurement agent (430) [2a, 2 b]. Laser measurement agent (430) sends the laser measurements tocloud service (400). Specifically, the laser measurements are obtainedby failure profile generation manager (406) of cloud service (400) [3].

Failure profile generation manager (406), as a result of obtaining thelaser measurements, performs a laser analysis of the lasers inaccordance with FIG. 3B. Specifically, the laser analysis includesconverting the voltage readings of each laser to a function of voltageover time by performing a linear regression on the voltage readings [4].The linear regressions generated from the voltage readings are comparedto the respective failure profiles [5].

Based on the laser analysis performed for each laser, it is determinedthat the laser measurements of laser (422) are similar to the respectivelaser profile. Based on the determination, cloud service (400) sends anotification to administrator (450) about the potential future failure[6].

Further, the determination, and the obtained power readings (orphotocurrent on the monitoring photodiodes), are applied as inputs forthe machine learning algorithm that was used to generate the respectivefailure profiles. In this manner, the failure profiles are updated basedon the obtained laser measurements. This may improve the accuracy of thefailure profiles for future laser analyses.

FIG. 4B shows a second example system. The second example system showsinitial communication between two network devices (e.g., network device(460) and network device (470)). Network device (460) includes opticaltransceiver (462) that includes a transmitter portion (which includes alaser (464)) and receiver portion (466). Network device (470) includesoptical transceiver (480) that includes a transmitter portion (whichlaser (882)) and a receiver portion (which includes photodiode (484)).

Network devices (460, 470) communicate via laser (464) of network device(460) sending data to be received by photodiode (484) in the receiverportion of network device (470) [7]. In this example, neither networkdevice (460) nor network device (470) are equipped with a monitoringphotodiode. As a result, photodiode (484) of network device (470) servesas the laser measurement device of optical transceiver (462).

Network device (470) further includes laser measurement agent (490).When optical transceiver (462) and optical transceiver (480) areinitially physically connected, e.g., using an optical cable, networkdevice (470) performs a calibration to obtain a baseline of lasermeasurements for laser (464). Thereafter, laser measurement device(484), after periodically monitoring laser (464), sends lasermeasurements (i.e., indirect laser measurements) to laser measurementagent (490), which specify that these laser measurements are for opticaltransceiver (462) [8]. The laser measurements are sent to failureprofile generation manager (406) of cloud service (400) [9].

Failure profile generation manager (406), in response to obtaining thelaser measurements curve, performs the method of FIG. 3B. Specifically,failure profile generation manager (406) identifies the opticaltransceiver (i.e., optical transceiver (462)) associated with theobtained laser measurements by identifying that optical transmitter(462) is connected to optical transmitter (480). Failure profilegeneration manager (406) obtains a previously-generated failure profilefrom a failure profile repository (402) [10] and performs a laseranalysis on the laser measurement curve [11]. The result of the analysisis that the laser profile of optical transceiver (462) matches a failureprofile of a similar optical transceiver type. After such determination,the cloud service (400) sends a notification to administrator (450) thatspecifies the potential failure of optical transceiver (462) [12].

While not shown in the example, the failure profile repository (402) isupdated based on the determination made by the failure profilegeneration manager (406).

End of Examples

As discussed above, embodiments of the invention may be implementedusing computing devices. FIG. 5 shows a diagram of a computing device inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the invention. The computingdevice (500) may include one or more computer processors (502),non-persistent storage (504) (e.g., volatile memory, such as randomaccess memory (RAM), cache memory), persistent storage (506) (e.g., ahard disk, an optical drive such as a compact disk (CD) drive or digitalversatile disk (DVD) drive, a flash memory, etc.), a communicationinterface (512) (e.g., Bluetooth interface, infrared interface, networkinterface, optical interface, etc.), input devices (510), output devices(508), and numerous other elements (not shown) and functionalities. Eachof the components illustrated in FIG. 5 is described below.

In one embodiment of the invention, the computer processor(s) (502) maybe an integrated circuit for processing instructions. For example, thecomputer processor(s) may be one or more cores or micro-cores of aprocessor. The computing device (500) may also include one or more inputdevices (510), such as a touchscreen, keyboard, mouse, microphone,touchpad, electronic pen, or any other type of input device. Further,the communication interface (512) may include an integrated circuit forconnecting the computing device (500) to a network (not shown) (e.g., alocal area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) such as theInternet, mobile network, or any other type of network) and/or toanother device, such as another computing device.

In one embodiment of the invention, the computing device (500) mayinclude one or more output devices (508), such as a screen (e.g., aliquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, touchscreen, cathode raytube (CRT) monitor, projector, or other display device), a printer,external storage, or any other output device. One or more of the outputdevices may be the same or different from the input device(s). The inputand output device(s) may be locally or remotely connected to thecomputer processor(s) (502), non-persistent storage (504), andpersistent storage (506). Many different types of computing devicesexist, and the aforementioned input and output device(s) may take otherforms.

Embodiments described herein allow for the operation of a network deviceto be pre-emptively remediated in the event of a potential failure of acomponent in the network device. Embodiments described herein mayinclude monitoring the network devices to enable such pre-emptiveremediation. Embodiments described herein may include analyzing theresults of the monitoring to determine whether such components (e.g.,optical transceivers) are in potential need of replacement and toperform such actions. Further, embodiments described herein utilizemachine learning to improve the accuracy of such analyses. In thismanner, the amount of disruption caused by potential failure of networkdevices is reduced.

Specific embodiments have been described with reference to theaccompanying figures. In the above description, numerous details are setforth as examples. It will be understood by those skilled in the art,and having the benefit of this Detailed Description, that one or moreembodiments described herein may be practiced without these specificdetails and that numerous variations or modifications may be possiblewithout departing from the scope of the embodiments. Certain detailsknown to those of ordinary skill in the art may be omitted to avoidobscuring the description.

In the above description of the figures, any component described withregard to a figure, in various embodiments, may be equivalent to one ormore like-named components shown and/or described with regard to anyother figure. For brevity, descriptions of these components may not berepeated with regard to each figure. Thus, each and every embodiment ofthe components of each figure is incorporated by reference and assumedto be optionally present within every other figure having one or morelike-named components. Additionally, in accordance with variousembodiments described herein, any description of the components of afigure is to be interpreted as an optional embodiment, which may beimplemented in addition to, in conjunction with, or in place of theembodiments described with regard to a corresponding like-namedcomponent in any other figure.

Throughout the application, ordinal numbers (e.g., first, second, third,etc.)

may be used as an adjective for an element (i.e., any noun in theapplication). The use of ordinal numbers is not to imply or create anyparticular ordering of the elements nor to limit any element to beingonly a single element unless expressly disclosed, such as by the use ofthe terms “before”, “after”, “single”, and other such terminology.Rather, the use of ordinal numbers is to distinguish between theelements. By way of an example, a first element is distinct from asecond element, and the first element may encompass more than oneelement and succeed (or precede) the second element in an ordering ofelements.

As used herein, the phrase operatively connected, or operativeconnection, means that there exists between elements/components/devicesa direct or indirect connection that allows the elements to interactwith one another in some way. For example, the phrase ‘operativelyconnected’ may refer to any direct (e.g., wired directly between twodevices or components) or indirect (e.g., wired and/or wirelessconnections between any number of devices or components connecting theoperatively connected devices) connection. Thus, any path through whichinformation may travel may be considered an operative connection.

While embodiments described herein have been described with respect to alimited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having thebenefit of this Detailed Description, will appreciate that otherembodiments can be devised which do not depart from the scope ofembodiments as disclosed herein. Accordingly, the scope of embodimentsdescribed herein should be limited only by the attached claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for managing optical transceiveroperation, the method comprising: obtaining a laser measurement for anoptical transceiver; obtaining a failure profile, the failure profilecomprising a pattern of laser behavior over time that is indicative oflaser failure; and initiating a remediation action for the opticaltransceiver based on a comparison of the obtained laser measurement tothe pattern of laser behavior over time indicative of laser failure. 2.The method defined in claim 1, wherein the pattern of laser behaviorover time indicative of laser failure is predictive of a time at whichthe optical transceiver is expected to fail.
 3. The method defined inclaim 2, wherein initiating the remediation action for the opticaltransceiver occurs prior to the time at which the optical transceiver isexpected to fail.
 4. The method defined in claim 1, wherein initiatingthe remediation action for the optical transceiver is in response to adeviation of the obtained laser measurement from the pattern of laserbehavior over time indicative of laser failure being less than adeviation value.
 5. The method defined in claim 4, wherein initiatingthe remediation action for the optical transceiver comprises sending anotification indicative of a network device associated with the opticaltransceiver for output at an output device.
 6. The method defined inclaim 1, wherein the laser measurement for the optical transceiver isobtained at a first point in time, the method further comprising:obtaining additional laser measurements for the optical transceiver atadditional points in time, wherein the laser measurement for the opticaltransceiver and the additional laser measurements for the opticaltransceiver are indicative of laser behavior of the optical transceiverover time, and the comparison of the obtained laser measurement to thepattern of laser behavior over time indicative of laser failure is partof a comparison of the laser behavior of the optical transceiver overtime to the pattern of laser behavior over time indicative of laserfailure.
 7. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the opticaltransceiver of an optical transceiver type and wherein the failureprofile is specific to the optical transceiver type.
 8. The methoddefined in claim 1, wherein the laser measurement is obtained for alaser of a laser type in the optical transceiver and wherein the failureprofile is specific to the laser type.
 9. The method defined in claim 1,wherein obtaining the failure profile comprises generating the patternof laser behavior over time that is indicative of laser failure based onlaser measurements from one or more additional optical transceivers andbased on corresponding information indicative of whether or not each ofthe one or more additional transceivers is in an at risk of failure orfailed state.
 10. The method defined in claim 9 further comprising:updating the failure profile based on the laser measurement for theoptical transceiver and information indicative of the opticaltransceiver being in the at risk of failure or failed state.
 11. Themethod defined in claim 1, wherein the pattern of laser behavior overtime that is indicative of laser failure comprises at least one of afunction of voltage over time indicative of laser failure, a function ofcurrent over time indicative of laser failure, or a function of powerover time indicative of laser failure.
 12. The method defined in claim11, wherein the laser measurement is a voltage measurement, a currentmeasurement, or a power measurement.
 13. One or more non-transitorycomputer readable media comprising computer-executable instructionsthat, when executed by one or more processors for a system, cause theone or more processors to: obtain laser measurements for one or moreoptical transceivers and corresponding information indicative of whetheror not each of the one or more transceivers contained a laser failure;generate a profile of laser behavior over time indicative of a timing ofoptical transceiver failure based on the obtained laser measurements andthe corresponding information; and output a notification indicating agiven optical transceiver is likely to experience a failure over afuture time period based on additional laser measurements for the givenoptical transceiver and the profile of laser behavior over timeindicative of the timing of optical transceiver failure.
 14. The one ormore non-transitory computer readable media defined in claim 13 furthercomprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by theone or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: generate aprofile of laser behavior over time for the given optical transceiver;and make a determination on whether the profile of laser behavior overtime for the given optical transceiver matches the profile of laserbehavior over time indicative of the timing of optical transceiverfailure.
 15. The one or more non-transitory computer readable mediadefined in claim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions thatcause the one or more processors to output the notification indicatingthe given optical transceiver is likely to experience the failure overthe future time period comprise computer-executable instructions that,when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or moreprocessors to output the notification indicating the given opticaltransceiver is likely to experience the failure over the future timeperiod in response the determination indicating a match between theprofile of laser behavior over time for the given optical transceiverand the profile of laser behavior over time indicative of the timing ofoptical transceiver failure.
 16. The one or more non-transitory computerreadable media defined in claim 14, wherein the computer-executableinstructions that cause the one or more processors to make thedetermination comprise computer-executable instructions that, whenexecuted by the one or more processors for the system, cause the one ormore processors to determine that the profile of laser behavior overtime for the given optical transceiver deviate from the profile of laserbehavior over time indicative of the timing of optical transceiverfailure by less than an allowable deviation.
 17. The one or morenon-transitory computer readable media defined in claim 13, wherein thegiven optical transceiver is different from the one or more opticaltransceivers for which the laser measurements are obtained and is of asame optical transceiver type as the one or more optical transceivers.18. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media defined inclaim 13, wherein the given optical transceiver is one of the one ormore optical transceivers for which the laser measurements are obtained.19. A method for managing optical transceiver operation, the methodcomprising: obtaining a failure profile based on a first lasermeasurement for a first laser in a first optical transceiver; obtaininga second laser measurement for a second laser in a second opticaltransceiver; initiating a remediation action for the second opticaltransceiver based on the failure profile and the second lasermeasurement; and obtaining an updated failure profile by updating thefailure profile using the second laser measurement for the second laser.20. The method defined in claim 19, wherein the failure profilecomprises laser behavior over time indicative of laser failure.